Making multiple copies of Windows boot properly with Chameleon v2

[Crash!]

I've done some experimenting with the Windows bootloader systems, and found a way to make multiple copies of Windows (and Linux) boot properly with Chameleon v2. I have a quad-boot system with Windows XP, Windows 7, Ubuntu Linux, and iAtkos 10.5.7 on a single drive.

 

Windows uses the boot partition flag to "discover" itself. By changing the boot flag, you can change the behavior of Windows.

 

A note: This guide will not remove non-bootable entries (data partitions) from Chameleon.

 

You will need partition editing software. I used GParted Live CD (which is freely available here) and installation CDs for any OS which you are planning to (or already is) installed.

 

This guide assumes that you already have installed all OSes and have non-bootable entries for OSes in Chameleon. This can also be performed during the install process.

 

I'll use my machine as an example. My partiton configuration is as follows:

1: Mac OS HFS+

2: NTFS (Windows XP)

3: NTFS (Windows 7)

4: Extended

[5: EXT3 Linux Root (Ubuntu)]

[6: Linux Swap]

[7: EXT3 Linux /home]

The Process

1. Boot to GParted Live CD. Set Windows XP as the boot partiton.
   
2. Reboot the system using the Windows XP installation disc. Once you reach the welcome screen, select the repair console option. Issue the commands "fixboot" and "fixmbr" to the console. This will repair all boot properties to XP and remove any dual-boot entries.
   
3. Boot using GParted Live CD. Set the Windows 7 partition as the boot device.
   
4. Boot using the Windows 7 installation disc. Once you reach the welcome screen, select the repair computer option. The software will attempt repairs on the boot system and reboot. If this fails, simply repeat this step. Each time the system will attempt to repair a different piece of the Windows boot process. In my case it took two tries.
   
5. Boot to GParted Live and set your Mac OS partition as active.
   
6. Boot to Ubuntu Live CD and reinstall GRUB on the Linux / (root) partition instead of the MBR. You can also edit GRUB so that it will boot quickly without the options to boot to Windows or Mac OS, and silently.
   
7. Reboot the machine. If Chameleon does not appear, use your Mac OS installation disc to boot to the hard drive and reinstall Chameleon. This was not necessary on my machine.
   
8. Enjoy your fully-functional machine.
   

Tip: Chameleon will use the volume label of each partition as the name on the boot menu. I have mine set to "Mac OS", "Windows XP", "Windows 7", "Ubuntu Linux"